I posted this up in News/Activism because it is a call to activism, and therefore seemed to me to fit the bill.

This is a "caucus" thread - if you're a pro-Romney whiner, then go find another thread. This one is for conservatives who want to do something about the election besides hang our heads and timidly thump a tub for Mittens.

I've intended this thread to hang around for a while so that we can throw ideas back and forth and start trying to network, etc. If you're really interested in organizing for action, please feel free to join in. If you want to hang back and not get actively involved, well, feel free to join in or lurk too.

I know that you don’t want to believe it, and I don’t blame you for denying it, but Newt is done, and unless Romney gets ill or dies before Aug, he will be the nominee. There is nothing I can do about it, we haven’t even had our primary yet, and the race is already been decided again, it sucks, but it is the way the parties have designed it to screw us over. I really do admire your dedication to Newt, but the time has come to realize that the primaries are over. What we need to do is try to force the gop to get a truly conservative vp, like West. At least that way if Romney were to win, he would always be looking over his shoulder, cause West doesn’t suffer fools gladly.

I think we need to put together a new party. It must be constitutional, conservative, and simple. It could be the Tea Party.

The platform should be straightforward and high minded. Something the Founding Fathers could get into. It should be clearly better for the average American to vote for than the amorphic Republicans of today.

This will take time, years, to become strong in number. This must happen because conservatives are wholly unrepresented in higher office in this land as it now stands.

Well that might be true, however imagine the sh$t that will hit the fan if Romney wins the electoral college, and Obama wins the popular vote, which is very possible with Cal, Il and NY, that will probably give Obama a huge popular vote margin, while Fl, Va, Co, Az and Indiana, with much smaller populations, and at least some will probably flip to Romney. If that happens, the streets will burn, seriously, they will. It will make 2000 look like a picnic. On the other hand, maybe its time.

The Republican Elite-Tea Party War will continue until one or the other is pushed out, we cannot peacefully coexist together. Focus on our Local Elections, that is how we will gain this country back,.... from the Bottom Up,

I agree with this....although there has to be some sort of resolution between the Republican Elite-and the Tea Party. As I see it the Elite have no intentions of letting go of their power ..they'll continue to fight the Tea Party candidates..and more... I suspect a grand infilitration into it... in order to neutralize it more than it is now.

My concern is there's not enough willing to be 'actively' involved and run, who have the experience to know how to navigate within the political arena. Politics is worse than nasty and brutal on family.

Additionally the need to know 'how' the game is played, not just jumping in and hope they win. There're plays to understand and manuvering...not just speaking and getting the message out.

Well yes, that does appear so at the moment. Yet there are 6 months til we actually vote. Time to think it thru for those who aren't certain what to do....I do think some will not make that determination until the very day they vote.

I understand in some states a write-in will not count at all...every state has rules about this so best people who are going write-in make sure that candidate is ligit there....some states you don’t have the choice of a write-in..it’s a two party state period.

Six months til the vote....don’t count your chickens before they hatch. If it comes to that...then so be it...because man might toss the coin but God determines where it will fall and he’s been known to change mans equation in unexpected ways.

I don’t believe any have to make a solid commitment at this juncture....yes, it looks to be these two losers we’re stuck with....and I’ve made my decision...but I like to hear solid arguments if there are other options, in what form..and or persons.

Show me where I am denying it? It has to be true FIRST before I can deny something!!

and the race is already been decided again, it sucks

Then why are YOU believing it Newt is done? You are defeating you own wants by using 'their wants Newt is done' to defeat you!

unless Romney gets ill

Romney is ill, one sick evil POS. He has a deranged mind - it is not hidden.

force the gop to get a truly conservative

LOL!! They are doing EXACTLY what they want to do and that includes no conservatism. And many here have given up the fight - with let the other guy do it - because they say the primaries are over which is STRAIGHT from the pit brought to you by evil MITT!!

Your thinking that some great conservative is going to hand hold mitt and change his diapers and all will be well in the least - truly pie in the sky, just a warm and fuzzy thought to comfort you.

No sorry, but I am neither stupid, nor ignorant. I don’t expect anyone to hold Mitts hand. However, if we get rid of Lugar, and maybe Hatch, and take over the Senate, while at the same time getting a strong conservative VP, more Tea Party members in the House, and Palin on the sidelines, Mitt will not have the balls to go left. Mitt is the type that wants to be liked, that is what got him in so much trouble in Mass, there is no damn way he will have the guts to push back against Demint, Palin etc.

The question remains is whether or not he'll be able to pick up the middle that voted for Obama and are now unhappy with him.

From lurking on the Democrat sites, (know your enemy), there are as many disallusioned with Obama as there are Republicans with Romney's win...but they seem to be able to "live with" Romney as they see him as slightly less than Obama...so I agree it's a factor in the equation.... it could very well offset those refraining from voting for Romney.

As for Independants...they are either Liberals or Conservative, though you'll never hear them admit it....but I'm under the impression they will generally go with whoever is most liberal....however, Romney is liberal enough so I see them as leaning his way.

Obama's going to target easily led students and the less well off....he knows how to "organize" and bring in those votes.

If obama wins again, blame the spineless people who turned their backs on conservatism and their values to vote for AN establishment liberal RINO.

That' correct....they are trying very hard to blame anybody but themselves for who they are "choosing" to vote for. Now they're complaining because when we had the chance for a conservative they blew that as well...they got what they asked for so They have to live with what their stuck with..I don't.

Any of the conservatives would have been better than Romney.....and he took them down one by one and even now jumped ahead and claimed the win without the delegates.

He thinks he can win the general without the voters as well....and he's certainly proved so far that he can....

So ok...now do it without me...I won't be voting for the creep.....and those who wouldn't get behind our conservatives when they could have can stuff it where the sun doesn't shine for all I care.

More pie in the sky - it's not the first time all you said was said before when people live in fear. ALL those words would not be needed in protecting America - from mitt to somehow HOPE it will keep him from going left. News flash - he already is left! That's the first obstacle you have to overcome - face it - MITT IS A LIBERAL.

Vote NEWT and there is NO NEED for all those barriers you put up in your mind to protect America from mitt. Don't vote for Mitt - work the phone banks for Newt from your home, $upport him, vote for him. Did you do it yet? Or do their lies have you wrapped up like a mummy and can't move.

Face it - Mitt is NOT winning against obama. He is the WORST candidate to go against him with absolutely NOTHING to win with. He will be made into mince meat by barry and crucified by the media. ALL along mitt's had 'media protection' to save him for Barry so Barry can win!!!! This is not rocket science and the majority has fallen for mitt's lies. It's pathetic to watch.

Conservatives are not going to be a party to what others created but NOT $upporting and voting for NEWT. We keep telling the mittbots and the fearful - you get what you deserve for remaining unteachable and pawns for mitt/GOP. We are NOT voting for mitt. Case closed - This is the same mindset that will point blame at the conservatives when obama wins. Watch - this is exactly how it will go down. They vote for mitt when told not to - because they are too dumb to know it themselves - Mitt will not win! Vote for NEWT!

We should be grateful we have Newt to have a guaranteed win! And a guaranteed President that on day one, he is ready to undo some of the damage. He has the know how - well thought out plans in place already, the skill and know how to get it all done!! That's his mo - he's been there, do it FOR AMERICA! Speaker Newt is not like Speaker Boehner - that's why they don't want him! And Mitt has no plans in place, just rhetoric he spews out for votes and the dumb believe the LIAR.

What half way intelligent person would believe a KNOWN LIAR? Do you know anyone that would?

All this somehow goes over the heads of voters - as they are clueless they have been duped! They'd rather live in the what 'if' and 'maybe' world to ease their fears than doing something POSITIVE for our country.

There is no box check on the ballot for a candidate you are "Not For".

If you're not "For" then you vote otherwise....that's how it works. So trying to make it sound otherwise to justify to yourself why you've decided as you have is just foolish.

IF you vote for Romney, you're personally responsible for what hes about to perpetrate

In a Republic, the sovereignty resides in the people themselves, whether "one" or many.... In a Republic, "one" may "act on his own"... or through his representatives as he chooses to solve a problem...... Further, the people have no obligation to the government.

A Republic is representative government ruled by law (the Constitution)...... A democracy is direct government ruled by the majority (mob rule).....A Republic recognizes the inalienable rights of individuals while democracies are only concerned with group wants or needs (the public good).

I do not have to follow as "one" citizen of the USA I decide if I follow or resist....we are free voters...not hostages... to a party or otherwise.

You have a very good point there...and another reason he flip flops...additionally he doesn't handle pressure well but relies on others when the heat is on.

Remember when he was asked about going to war with Iran...he 'quickly' leaned on others, "You give it to the Attorney's to figure out".

No granted that wasn't all he said...but my point is Romney has been forged depending on what others tell him to do....so it will matter greatly who he appoints on his team....because with this his ego is huge...and he doesn't like being pushed.....so really it's all going to depend on how people apprach him he relies on, and they better know how to "soft touch" Romney..otherwise he'll resist.

On the other hand there is no doubt whatsoever Romney will take this country fast into the Global push for world governance...and the International Leaders know this.

Look, it doesn’t matter what you think, or what I think. There are 200 million people that also get to make a choice on the presidency. Some are smart, some are dumb, some are informed, some are ignorant. It doesn’t matter, because they have a vote just like you and me. Screaming at somebody on an internet forum isn’t going to get any of those uninformed to change their minds. If you want to do that, do what FReepers did in 2000, take it to the streets, get your message out. Most conservatives would obviously prefer Newt to Romney or Obama, but that doesn’t matter, the uninformed masses have decided, like they always do. You are just wasting your time yelling at people that agree with your opinion, but realize that the primary is over. All that does is cause division among people that agree on most things, and our enemies love that. You are going to have several choices on your ballot in Nov, but only two will have a chance to become President, the rep or the dem. Like I said before, I don’t know yet if I will vote for Romney, but I will not help Obama by blasting the only person that has any chance of getting his American hating ass out of office. What you do is up to you. Neither I nor anyone else can force you to vote for or against someone, its a personal decision. I do know however, that if people don’t turn out to vote at the top of the ballot, they probably won’t vote at all, so get ready for Speaker Pelosi 2.0

I see the mentally challenged village idiot is still damning people to hell. Yeah you really help the cause by making conservatives look like backwards brainwashed dumbasses. You either have mental problems or are the largest troll on this site, yet you still manage to berate people like you are serious poster while other get the boot. Like someone else said, you sure do talk about Homo’s alot must be some form of projection on your part. Are you a poofer puffer behind closed doors! No wonder you hate the world. LOL!

NO! Mitt is the type who wants what he wants and he will backstab you as many times that it takes - to get it!

there is no damn way he will have the guts to push back against Demint, Palin etc.

Now that is laughable!! He is behind all the maligning and trashing of Sarah since day one and she knows it and you are saying he does have the guts? He's already done it for close to four years with everyone knowing it. It's not his guts that did/doing it - IT IS HIS EVILNESS! If he had guts he wouldn't be using others to do his dirty work - he'd come out in the open and to her face, and her children's face and Todd's face and Trig's face and say it. He's a gutless godless POS.

You say West should be his VP and have a strong congress. You actually think if West went against him somehow and/or these strong 'made up' conservatives in Congress went against him, we wouldn't see in the headlines by undisclosed sources how West did this, or Congressman did that? They would know it's him, because that is his MO! Remember this....Mitt is the type who wants what he wants and he will backstab you as many times that it takes - to get it!

Dream on - you really have no idea about this man - NONE! Nor do you want to know because if you did, you would know it already!

BTW, still laughing at your.... there is no damn way he will have the guts to push back against .... Palin etc.

Oh I agree, Romney is a chameleon, and a really lousy rep candidate, but what the hell is the alternative, 4 more years of unprotected borders, race baiting and, in the end gay marriage by executive order, which will be tied up in the courts until so many states have legalized it that it will never go away, esp with another supreme court pick changing the balance, and the country, forever. It is a real fine place all of the primary infighting has gotten us, and I don’t mean just on Freerepublic, I mean everywhere. You would have thought that after 2008, and then the Tea Party victories, Conservatives could have come together and agreed on a candidate. To bad so many of our candidates thought more of their own egos, than of our country. And I mean EVERY one of them. Michelle with her stupid attacks on Perry that made her look foolish, then Perry with his stupid comments about those of us that expect to have a damn border. Cain with his personal problems, real or not, then his attack on Perry. Santorum, who couldn’t help but try to show everyone how holy he was, but ended up looking self righteous instead. Newt, who when he obviously had no shot left, refusing to drop out. And then of course, Romneys superpac, and its smears. I really want to say a pox on all of there houses, but that just screws us. Damn what a fricken mess, huh?

Do you seriously think that West or Palin would keep their mouth shut if Romney did something they didn’t like? Cause if you do, you haven’t been paying attention. Why don’t you ask Lugar about Palin keeping her mouth shut about rinos, I think he has a little better idea about it than you do right now.

Sure is...but it's been a long time coming....the only way Romney could win was exactly how he did it, and he had 'Years' to orchestrate and lay the ground work while not having to work on anything else....and he wanted to President really bad....not because of the country, but where else was he going to go for employment? He already did everything else...loL...truth is jest.

His wife saying .."It's his turn"..was a dead give-away if people remember 08's primary.

I so hate to say this but until the conservatives realize the Republican Elites have learned the lefts tactics and will use them against us....and we understand those tactics...the equation just isn't going to change...and we'll be singing the same song next time around.

Part of the stratigy was to encourage all the infighting, both from Romneys camp and Obamas camp, while they sat back and watched the show. You recall Romney hardly made a statements about his plans, he didn't have any,....he simply cruised thru without sticking his neck out one time. That also was a give-away the fix was in.

By the time the pundits caught hold of Romney still tracking and why that was it was too late in the game to make a story of....and besides they wouldn't have.

I still say there's 6 months til we vote.....strange things have already occured in this Primary...but if there's to be any change now it will surely not be mans doing. I don't underestimate God if He chooses to come into the affairs of men in unexpected ways. But until and if..there really are three choices.....ABO, Obama, or NOA.

Yep, a voters decision is between him or her, and their heart, I just know that if the Rep want to have any chance of uniting the majority of right leaning voters, they had better be careful with the vp pick. My concern is that they see what is going on here, and figure they can’t get our votes, and go for a Christie type moderate to try to take the middle. Christie may be as good as it gets in NJ, but I cannot vote for him. Unlike Romney, who at least says he is pro life and anti gay marriage, and anti mosque, Christie doesn’t even give lip service to socons, and although I am not a regular church attendee, I still am a Christian, and there are certain things I can’t support from a politician. Like I said, I don’t know what Romney really believes, but at least he says he has changed, and as a Christian, it isn’t my duty to judge what is in another mans heart. I can only go by what he says, and then hold them to it, as best as I can. And by the way, before someone jumps down my throat, yes, I know he is a Mormon, that is between him and God, not me.

Goodnight everyone, hopefully it will all work itself out by this fall. And in the mean time, if you have a child, wife, husband, mother, father or maybe a dog or a cat, give them a hug or a call or whatever, because isn’t that why we are here, because we are concerned about the future of someone we care about? Life is short, letting a bunch of ahole politicians depress and stress us out makes it even shorter, and a whole lot less enjoyable. Whatever God has in store for us is going to happen anyway, right?

Nope. This is a nascent movement that transcends this election. Let me throw something out there for you to chew on: Romney has NO chance vs. Obama and will lose handily.

This is why we`re starting the effort now. It`s similar to being 40 games off first place in a MLB season with 50 to play. True, you`re not mathematically eliminated, but you know damned well your current trajectory is a failed one and it`s time to take a new path with a vision for the future. We in this thread don`t harbor expectations of propelling Virgil Goode or any other non-legacy party candidate into the White House this year.

But isn`t just about this year... it`s about the years beyond. The GOP is a dying entity. Its “leaders” regard the Tea Party movement and other conservatives as a necessary annoyance at best.

Tell me... do you really believe Romney.. if he were elected (which isn`t going to happen).. would give two sh*ts about what matters to conservatives? How about that bawlbaby Boehner? Do you think Mitch McConnell did a stellar job holding the GOP Senators together during that disastrous 2010 Lame-duck session?

The GOP is going by the wayside and its elite believe a lurch to the political left will save it from extinction. It won`t, but only postpones it.

Learner - so you’re so resigned and/or cynical that you don’t think it’s even worth discussing the possibility? How about if somebody on this thread comes up with a great, but longer-term, idea for reestablishing conservative values in the nation we all love? Wouldn’t that be worth the effort?

Sheesh.

179
posted on 04/29/2012 5:00:46 AM PDT
by jagusafr
("Write in Palin and prepare for war...")

This is beyond stupid.......is it idiocy that is defined as doing something over & over again, & getting the same result over & over & over......I paraphrase. Can you say mccain, dole, ghwbush, ford? billva, youre 180 degrees out of phase, but I know you mean well.

I think your definition of idiocy is pretty right on, like thinking you can broker this convention.

“Outside of the two coalition parties there is a thin fringe of unaffiliated people. It’s not a broad middle ~ more like a desert.”

I tend to (reluctantly) agree, but I can’t accept the premise that even a majority of the people in the “two coalition parties” have made a considered decision to buy in to the tenets of their party. It seems to me that if there were a way to get people to look past the R or D and see the truth - that they really ARE conservative, that they believe, deep down, in the values on which this nation was founded - that “desert middle” you so aptly describe would be much more densely populated and people would make REAL election-day decisions.

Pollyana out.

183
posted on 04/29/2012 5:15:42 AM PDT
by jagusafr
("Write in Palin and prepare for war...")

Nobody on Earth fails to be part of some sort of organization ~ starting with the family, and even if he's wandered out to the mountains and lives alone he has his memories.

Those affiliations ~ kinship, location, friendship, work, economic status, religion, color, height, sex ~ maybe even scent ~ define us first long before we decide if we are Republicans or Democrats.

This is a given.

The American single member district system for discovering fit officers of state simply forces the issue by requiring, ultimately, that you get 50%+1 vote to win!

Your relatives, neighbors, friends, employers and employees, and so forth spend a lifetime trying to get you to make that one last choice ~ POLITICS ~ because they, in their combination of affiliations believe they will benefit from you choosing their way, and even if you don't, you'll still be relatives or friends ~ because we aren't going to give up on you.

The hypothetical 'Broad Middle" cannot exist under those conditions. You will be part of one or the other of the two coalition parties, and if your affiliation group switches sides, you'll more than likely go with them! Even if you don't, you'll be in a new minority.

Way back at the beginning when the Founders set up our nation-state with it's bifurcated government (federal and state), they created competing centers of power which were single-member districts. Throughout American history there have been only two significant deviations from that ~ one was the South Carolina legislature where "county supervisors" were also delegates to the legislature, and depending on population of their home district, they had votes of different weights. The other place was Indiana where the county itself was the smallest district, but with multi-members depending on population.

The result was the same ~ counties with large populations tended toward "Party List Voting"! That didn't give rise to different parties, but factions within the parties were able to push their candidates forward to run with the main party candidates.

First time I voted I had to select 25 representatives ~ invariably there'd be some minority guys in there ~ chosen by someone to be on the list.

If you combined that situation with run-off elections you could probably force those factions out into the open as independent parties ~ which is what happens in European countries with that form of election.

The math is that with two stage voting, and multi-party districts, you only need 2.5% of the vote to actually put a member of your faction into a parliament with at least 25 members!

NOTE: Which kinda explains the koo-koo fringe people found in so many city councils where selection is non-partisan or within just one party.

After convening the parliament, the various faction representatives will tend to coalesce around a "Government" and an "Opposition".

Indiana never went to runoffs but South Carolina and other Southern states commonly held them. You still see reflections of that in the results in South Carolina where it's always been considered "normal" to vote for the man and not the party ~ which puts non-standard politicians in power. If they had to run as a real Republican in Ohio they would never win, but they also could never win as a real Democrat there either!

The alternative, always open to Romney, is a burst of integrity which leads him to drop out of the race. In the long run we will have to take that core “Establishment’ and rip them out by the roots and dispose of them like yesterday’s garbage ~ and that’s what this is about ~ the future!

Notice that I'm not saying that anyone should vote for Romney, or that Romney is so much better than Obama, or anyone else. I'm just stating the cold facts.

Personally, I'm hoping that Romney somehow falls short of a delegate majority, and the convention picks a respected conservative in his place. But I'm not betting any money on that.

If Romney ends up with the nomination, I don't know what I'll do. But I'll be bringing a pen to the election booth in case I decide to write in Palin or Cain at the last minute. I know that's counter to my math argument, but these are unusual times.

195
posted on 04/29/2012 7:02:05 AM PDT
by Leaning Right
(Why am I carrying this lantern? you ask. I am looking for the next Reagan.)

Nice post. Pretty much the way I see it. But there isn’t going to be a conservative President this go around unless Romney is not the Rupublican nominee after all. Hope this caucus thread can work. So far, it doesn’t seem to.

ScottinVa, right off, I agree with your entire post, and am not responding in a dismissive or belittling tone. But if, and we do agree that it is; that the GOP is dying, we know that it is dying because it is moving left. Reagan could move from the dems of his time, as they moved left, because he had the reps on the right for him to jump to. So where are we going to jump to? Do we go third party? Do we sit it out, to send a message?In THIS election year? When we are well into a takeover by a Socialist sitting _resident who has vowed to fundamentally transform this nation and he is making darn good on it?

Am I happy with ANY of the party elites at either the state or the federal level? &@!! no, but I can deal with them because while they are indeed moving left, they do not hate this nation and everything it stands for, and seek it’s destruction! Are they self serving, power hungry criminals? Yes! And you can bet I will be working to systematically throw as many of their worthless behinds out until the rest of them get the message.

But 0? My FRiend, if that man returns to the WhiteHouse, IMHO, it is his
intention to ascelerate the “transformation” of our nation, and looking at what he has accomplished thus far, do you doubt that he could do away
with elections all together? Afterall, near 50% of the country pays no income tax, near 50% receives their paycheck from government, and that
pesky Congress, while it is not doing what WE want, it isn’t doing what he
wants either, and he has already begun to roll his sleeves up, because he is obviously going to have to do it all himself. And after all, he is doing it for “the people”. Who is going to stop him? No one, not one of our governmental institutions or our system of checks and balances has stopped him so far.

Again, I am not being adversarial, but just offering the way I see it. Do I like Romney? No- but we can, (and sad to say,we will HAVE to continue to) work with/ON him and the RepubElites. 0? Well, since we have been
barely been able to slow him in his first term, I personally hold NO hope for stopping his completion of the “transformation” if he continues in office.

We MUST keep 0 from a second term, by ANY means possible, even if it means Romney, who I cannot stand to watch, and can barely listen to. I pray for the miracle of a brokered convention, if for no other reason than to send another wake up call to the GOP, but if Romney is still the nominee, the other prayer is that he will make an unbelieveably daring and strong choice for his VP, (Courtesy call for Col. Allen West - calling Col. Allen West please.)

May God help us, and may we learn to help ourselves as He gives us strength and guidance. Lord knows we will need it, as we make our way out of this sorry mess that we have made for ourselves.
Tatt

198
posted on 04/29/2012 7:40:45 AM PDT
by thesearethetimes...
("Courage, is fear that has said its prayers." Dorothy Bernard)

Very much so!....I think whomever will make certain there isn't a convention. I don't think it'll be a card at play. Romney jumping ahead to claim his position as the winner, without any outcry, lends one to believe that regardless of the system in pace he and the Gop will win this..by hook or crook......

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